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Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches
Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches is a girls-only boarding magic school, described as a stone castle atop a mountain, surrounded by pine forest. In the 1998 TV series, non-magic people believe the school to be the ruins of Overblow Castle.Let Them Eat Cake In the 2017 TV Series, the school is invisible to non-magical people. Young Witches start at Cackle's at age 11-12, and finish at age 16-17.Never definitively stated, but a number of sources imply that they start at age 11-12, and the actors in the TV adaptions were 12-13 when playing their characters in first year. Maud's diary on the BBC site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/mauds-diary) states that Maud is 11 a few months before starting Cackles. There are 5 years, with 12-15 pupils in each class, around 60-80 pupils in total. There are two terms a year, the winter term (September-January) and the summer term (March-July) with a month's holiday between terms. Location The school is located atop a mountain, surrounded by pine forest. There is a village nearby, though non-magical people are generally not aware of the school's existence. In the 1998 TV series, Cackle's Academy is located in Overblow Castle, believed to be a ruin by the non magical people in the local village; they believe the castle to be uninhabited ruins. Other nearby locations include Mistletoe Wood, Eel Pond, Lacewing Bridge and Glowworm Copse.Miss Cackle's Birthday Surprise (Miss Drill mentions some nearby locations when describing the running course.) History 1986 Film The Film states the Academy was founded in 1604. Miss Cackle talks about her mother, Madlevana Cackle: “There was a time, when I was a girl, when witches were persecuted, reviled, and burned at the stake. (turns to look at a portrait on the wall) It was Madlevana Cackle, my mother, who had the courage to fight for the formal education of witches.” 1998 TV Series The Castle was built a millennium ago, and belonged to Baron Overblow. The Castle was built by a Saxon warlord, then knocked down by a Norman conquerer, and rebuilt by the evil Baron Overblow, then burnt by serfs (peasants).The Millennium Bug On Halloween in Mildred’s first year, her class perform the rescue of the persecuted peasants from the clutches of Baron Overblow, by the legendary Lucy Fairweather. One of the more exciting events in the castle's history was the rebellion against Baron Overblow and his defeat by Lucy Fairweather. Baron Overblow knew he was no match for Lucy Fairweather. In his desperation he hired a cunning sorceress, Harriet Hogweed. Hogweed was defeated by Lucy Fairweather in “the greatest battle this castle has ever seen”.Which Witch Is Which? Another notable event was the The storming of the Castle by Major Ironheart Bearbones in 1644.The Millennium Bug The Sparrow sisters were the daughters of Sir Cecil Overblow, 12th baron, who defied their father by performing onstage in a musical.The Millennium Bug Another notable figure was Margolisse, Duchess of Overblow, who, by treachery and false witness, was convicted of high treason and exectuted in the castle dungeons 500 years ago.The Millennium Bug The legend of Sir Walter's Wet Week states that centuries ago, Baron Overblow refused to give shelter to Sir Walter one wild and stormy night and left him in the rain to die. As a result, every year it rains for a whole week, and on the last night there is a big storm, during which Sir Walter walks the corridors looking for revenge.When We Feast at the Midnight Hour Later, The Castle was used as a meeting place for wizards; Algernon Rowan-Webb got turned into a frog at one of these meetings, and lived in the pond on school grounds until Mildred Hubble rescued him. The school was established by Miss Amelia Cackle's great great great great great granny Hermione Cackle. It would seem that the school is passed down through the women of the Cackle family, as Agatha Cackle says that Miss Cackle "cheated her out of her inheritance". Mr Hallow previously owned the Academy, but it was returned to Miss Cackle as of The end of Mildred's Second year.The Millennium Bug During Mildred's years the Academy has twice been out of Miss Cackle's control, first when Agatha kidnapped Amelia in the middle of the night, tied her up and locked her in the storeroom. Agatha then pretended to be her sister and ran the school as Headmistress, until Mildred realised she was an imposter and rescued Miss Cackle.A Bolt from the Blue In Mildred's third year, Miss Cackle was away visiting her ill Aunt Gertrude, with Mistress Broomhead running the Academy; she returns when the other teachers ask for her.Just Like Clockwork 2017 TV Series The Academy was founded by Christobelle Cackle, who started teaching her neighbour's daughters in her living room. More young witches joined them and the school grew, however all that magic in one place was a recipe for disaster. Too much bat essence in a potion one day caused to roof the blow off, and Christobelle got in big trouble with the Magic Council for breaking the Witches Code. Cristobelle argued her case and was spared punishment, and was given a Founding Stone. She built Cackle's Academy as the first proper school for Witches.'Ethel's Hallowed Hall' on the CBBC website- https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/the-worst-witch-ethels-hallowed-halls-1 It is unknown how old the Academy is, however in Selection Day Miss Cackle stated that "For millennia, witches have been learning their craft upon this site of ancient power. The school itself was formally founded in the Dark Centuries, before the coming of Arthur." She also said that "We have never been a fee-paying school. We believe that every witch deserves a free education." The Academy is passed through the women of the Cackle family, with the previous Headmistress being Ada and Agatha's mother, Mrs Alma Cackle. It turns out Agatha is the eldest (by 13 minutes), not Ada as they believed, meaning that Agatha was supposed to inherit the Academy. Their mother told Ada that she lied about which twin was older as she wanted Ada to have the school, because Agatha would never run it according to the proper values. Ada and Agatha apparently attempted to run the school together at one point, but it was a disaster.”The Mists of Time The School Year The school year is divided into two terms: the Winter term (September–January) and the Summer term (March–July), with a month's holiday between them. Students starts at Cackle's at the age of 12, and finish at the age of 17, for a total of five school years. New students attend selection day six weeks before term begins, where they must pass both a written and practical test to enter the school. The prospective students are also given a tour of the school and meet the staff.Selection Day The students arrive at the start of the term by flying broomsticks, except for the new first years, who walk through walker's gate as they can't fly yet. New students are allocated their bedrooms, and special positions such as head of year are announced. The first few weeks of term are dedicated to learning to fly on a broomstick, in preparation for the Broomstick Aptitude Test, which all new students must pass or else be required to leave the school. Halfway through the first term, the first years are each presented with a black kitten, which they teach to ride the broomstick. The cats aren't for any practical purpose except to keep tradition going. There is no restriction on what animal a witch must have as her flight companion, with cats only being traditional as they are discreet and easy to care for. Some schools, such as Pentangle's, present owls instead. In the 2017 series, the student who is head of year gets the first choice of cat. On Halloween, Cackle’s Students and Staff attened Halloween celebrations held near the school. Traditionally Cackle’s will put on a show, such as a play or broomstick flying display. The Students and staff dress in their best robes and hats for Halloween, and all wear their hair out. In the middle of each term is the Half Term trip, when students and staff get away from the castle for a week, doing activities like camping and birdwatching. At Christmas time, the school sometimes puts on a pantomime such as Cinderella. In the Summer term, the Academy celebrates Miss Cackle’s Birthday, which involves performances and speeches, and is considered the most boring event of the year. Also in the summer term is Founder’s Day, a celebration of “great great great great great great great granny” Hermione Cackle, the School’s founder. The the founder's day feast is held that evening. At some point during the year, Sports Day is held, which is run by Miss Drill. Sports include pole vault (known as 'Fly High'), broomstick hurdles, broomstick javelin, and Witch Ball.Mildred's Family Tree At the end of the first year, each pupil receives a copy of The Popular Book of Spells, a three-inch thick volume bound in black leather. This was not really to be used, as they already had paperback editions for the classroom, but like the cats it was another piece of tradition. In the third year, all students do a research progect on a topic of their choice, known as the Third Year Witch project. At the end of each year, all the students sit exams and then recive their final results for the year. There is also a yearly prize-giving. In fourth year, students are given additional responsibilities such as First Year Mentor and Lantern Monitor.The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star At the end of fourth year, the Fourth Year Firsts Prizes are awarded in categories ranging from academics to broomstick flying to teamwork.First Prize for the Worst Witch At the end of the second-last year, the Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl are elected for the following year. At the end of the fifth and final year, students sit the exams for the W.H.C (Witches' Higher Certificate), and most pupils were awarded the certificate, although they don't receive the results until after they leave the Academy. Mildred thinks this is an excellent system, as one will if she's failed until they've all left school.First Prize for the Worst Witch After completing their final year, students can go on to further study at a magical university, such as Weirdsister College. Number of Years Cackle's has five years, and students start first year at age 11-12, and finish fifth year at age 16-17. In the third season of the 1998 TV series, this is changed to four years for some reason; possibly they wanted it to be Mildred's second last year so she could become head girl at the end of the series. It is possible, however, that the fifth year is an elective year, like the British Sixth Form system, and that there was no pupils for the following fifth year - hence why the Head and Deputy Head Girls were selected from the lower year. Cackle's is a very small school, In the 1998 TV series there are 12 students in Mildred's class, and there is only one class in each year, for a total of 60 pupils from years 1-5. The telemovie has 15 first-year pupils. In The New Worst Witch, The Wishing Well episode has around 40 students in years 1 to 3, working out to about 13-14 students per year. The 2017 TV series has 16 students in Mildred's year, for a total of 80 pupils years 1-5. School Charter In addition to the Witches Code, pupils at Cackle's Academy are expected to follow the rules of the school charter. This charter is far larger than the witches code and likely has more rules. There are exactly 99 rules during Mildred's time at Cackle's, and an 100th is added in the episode Rules, Rules, Rules in the New Worst Witch. See the individual page for a list of rules. School Song 1998 TV Series "Onward, ever striving onward, proudly on our brooms we fly, Straight and true above the treetops, shadows on the moonlit sky. Ne´er a day will pass before us when we have not tried our best, Kept our cauldrons bubbling nicely, cast our spells with zest. Fearless witches, never flinching through the dark and dismal nights, Ghouls and ghosts and nightmare monsters run away in fright. We are the girls with skills in sorcery, when in flight, quite a sight to see! We´re young witches and we're glad to be learning our craft at Cackle´s Academy." Books and 2017 TV series "Onward, ever striving onward, proudly on our brooms we fly, Straight and true above the treetops, shadows on the moonlit sky. Ne´er a day will pass before us when we have not tried our best, Kept our cauldrons bubbling nicely, cast our spells and charms with zest. Full of joy we mix our potions, working by each other´s side. When our days at school are over, let us think of them with pride." Onward, ever striving onward, proudly on our brooms we fly, Straight and true above the treetops, shadows on the moonlit sky. Ne´er a day will pass before us when we have not tried our best, Kept our cauldrons bubbling nicely, cast our spells and charms with zest. Full of joy we mix our potions, working by each other´s side. When our days at school are over, let us think of them with pride. Staff *'Miss Cackle' - Headmistress, Spells (1998 TV Series) *'Miss Hardbroom ' - Deputy Headmistress, Form Mistress, Potions *'Miss Bat ' - Joint Form Mistress (1998 TV Series), Chanting, Witch History (2017 TV Series) *'Miss Lavinia Crotchet ' - Chanting (1998 TV Series, Series 3) *'Miss Drill' - Joint Form Mistress (1998 TV Series), Physical Education (P.E. or Gym), Broomstick Flying (2017 TV Series) *'Miss Deirdre Swoop' - Physical Education (The New Worst Witch) *'Miss Mould' - Art (Books, 2017 TV Series, season 2) *'Ms Julie Hubble' - Art (2017 TV Series, season 3) *'Miss Nightingale' - Art (New Worst Witch, Season 1) *'Miss Myrtle Widget' - Art (New Worst Witch, Season 2) *'Miss Gimlett' - Second Year Form Mistress (Books, 1998 TV Series (unseen)) *'Miss Spellbinder'- Flying (Telemovie) *'Miss Gullet' - Spell Science (2017 TV Series) *'Mr Algernon Rowan-Webb' - Spell Science (2017 TV Series) *'Miss Tapioca' - School Cook *'Mrs Semolina' - Temporary School Cook (1998 TV Series, Series 2) *'Mr Frank Blossom' - Caretaker (1998 TV Series, Series 1- 2) *'Mr Ted Blossom ' - Replacement Caretaker (1998 TV Series, Series 3) *'Caspian Bloom' - Wizard in Residence, Librarian (New Worst Witch) Unless the staff teach multiple subjects, there may be more staff than listed, such as the teachers who teach Jewelry Design, Myths & Legends etc. 17.jpg|Miss Cackle, Miss Hardbroom, Miss Bat and Miss Drill Ib 03.jpg|Miss Cackle, Miss Hardbroom, Miss Drill and Miss Crochet 03.jpg|Miss Cackle, Miss Hardbroom, Miss Swoop and Miss Nightingale 3BDDA20500000578-4091692-image-m-66 1483631969106.jpg|Staff in the 2017 TV series: Miss Drill, Miss Bat, Miss Hardbroom, Miss Cackle, Mr Rowan-webb, Miss Gullet WW 3-6-9.jpg Subjects In the Books, Cackle's students have Potions, Chanting, Broomstick Flying, P.E. and Art Lessons. In A Bolt From the Blue, the exams results give the following subjects: *Chanting *Broomstick Flying *Potions *Spells *Cat Training *Jewelry Design *Myths and Legends In Just Like Clockwork, the third year timetable can be seen. it has the following subjects: .]] *Botany *Library *Chanting *Potions *Flower Gathering *Spells *Abacus *Witches Code *Broomstick Flying *Cat Training *Fungi *Herbs *History and Origins *Gym *Witches Etiquette *Plant Identification In the 2017 TV Series, subjects studied at Cackle's include: *Potions *Chanting *Broomstick Flying *P.E. *Spell Science *Witchory (Witch History) *Art In both the books and 1998 TV series, third year students do a Major Project (Third-Year Witch Project) on a topic of their choice. There are six 45 minute lessons a day, with a rather generous 2 hours given for lunch.Just Like Clockwork Extra-Curricular Activites *Cauldron Club *Dangerous Old Books Society (DOBS) *Drama *Music (Choir, Various Instruments) *Sports (Basketball, Gymnastics, Running) *Various Outdoor Activites run by Miss Drill *After school clubs: cooking lessons, night walks, flying lessons, spellbook classes, black cat appreciation clubhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/mauds-diary *Hat-making club Textbooks and Equipment Cackle's Textbooks Include: *The Popular Book of Spells – the main spellbook that the students use. It is mentioned in the books and appears in both the 1998 and 2017 TV series. Renamed 'Book of Spells' in the 2017 series. *Spell Sessions Two – mentioned in the books. *Year Three Spell Sessions – mentioned in the books. *The Practical Book of Potions – appears in the 1998 TV series. There appears to be one volume for each year level. *The Witches' Code - mentioned in the books and appears in both the 1998 and 2017 TV series. *History of Witchcraft – appears in the 2017 TV series. Equipment Includes: *Broomstick *School Satchel *Cat Carrier *Exercise Books *Pencil Case Uniform The students of Cackle's Academy wear a uniform. The students are required to wear their uniform throughout the school day. The winter uniform in the books consists of a black gymslip, grey shirts, black stockings, black boots and black and grey ties. The summer uniform in the books consists of a black and grey checked dress, grey ankle socks and black lace-up shoes. The dress was changed from Worst Witch All At Sea onwards to a simple black dress as Misss Hardbroom felt that the original design was too frivolous. The first book also states that that "the only touches of colour the uniforms were the sashes round their gymslips (a different colour for each house, although the houses are not named) and the school badge, which was a black cat sitting on a yellow moon." Fifth-year students wear multi-coloured striped ties and a braid edging their cloaks. On special occasions, such as Halloween, students wear a black robe, black cloak and a black pointed hat with the school badge. Nightwear is black and grey striped pyjamas or a grey nightdress. The P.E. uniform consists of a blue-grey shirt, black shorts and black plimsoll shoes. The uniform in the 1998 TV Series is almost identical to the winter uniform in the books, however, the sashes indicate years; first years wear purple, second years green, third years yellow, fourth years red, and fifth years grey. The New Worst Witch shows first years in blue sashes, and red and yellow sashes are also seen. Long sleeve shirts are worn in winter term, and short sleeves are worn in summer term. The P.E. uniform consists of a blue-grey shirt, black shorts and black plimsoll shoes, as in the books. When camping, students wear black trousers, black fleece jackets and their P.E. shirts. Black and grey striped swimsuits are worn when swimming. Potions aprons are worn in potions classes. The uniform shown in the 2017 TV Series is also similar to the winter uniform in the books. It consists of a black gymslip, grey short- or long-sleeved shirt, grey-and-black striped tie and black boots. A grey cardigan is optional. Students are allocated house teams; red, yellow, green and purple, and students wear a sash and tights or socks in their colour. Hair accessories are permitted and usually worn in the student's house colour. Black cloaks are seen when students fly on their broomsticks with lining in their house colour. Black pointed hats are seen on special occasions with a band in the same colour. Badges with the school logo are attached to the gymslip and hat with the background being in the student’s colour. The head student of each year has gold embroidery on their sash. Students wear grey nightdresses or grey pyjamas with black starry collars. Art smocks and rain jackets are worn, which are grey with a coloured geometric pattern lining the inside. The P.E. uniform consists of a black short-sleeved shirt with the school logo sewn on, a grey skirt-shorts combination and black plimsolls. The shirt and shorts have a coloured trim in the student’s house colour, and socks worn with the plimsolls are also in the colour. An optional jacket and tracksuit bottoms are worn with the P.E. uniform, again with a trim in the house colour. Ib 05.jpg|Winter Uniform Millie Maud.jpg|Hat and Cloak Clarice Sybil.jpg|Summer Uniform Prvac18.jpg|P.E. Uniform Worst witch book1001.jpg|Winter Uniform (Books) Worst witch book6001.jpg|Summer Uniform (Books) The-worst-witch-onward-journey.png|Uniform in the 2017 TV Series Ethel esme.jpg|Esmerelda Hallow showing the head of year sash (2017 TV Series) Millie sports.jpg|Sports Uniform in the 2017 TV Series The Castle The grounds of Cackle's Academy include a courtyard, used for broom flying lessons, PE lessons, and on breaks; the walker's gate, through which first year students enter before learning to fly; the broomshed, where brooms are stored; and the greenhouse, where herbs and vegtables are grown by Mr Blossom. .]] Locations inside the Castle include: *Classrooms, Including Miss Cackle's classroom where she teaches spells class, and Miss Bat's classroom where chanting is taught, and which is Sybil's class's homeroom. The 2017 TV series adds Mr Rowan-Webb's spell science classroom. *Potions Lab, where Miss Hardbroom teaches potions, and which is Mildred's class's homeroom. *Art room, added once Miss Mould joins the staff and introduces art classes. *Library, full of old spellbooks; in the 1998 TV series, the DOBS den is hidden underneath. *Great Hall, used for assemblies, special functions, performances, and mealtimes. *Storeroom, connected to the Great Hall, Mildred and Enid got trapped in here once. *Staff Room, where the teachers spend time when not teaching classes, they eat their meals here too. *Headmistress' Office, Miss Cackle's Office *Miss Hardbroom's office, shown in The Worst Witch Strikes Again. *Teachers' Rooms, the teachers' bedrooms are on the upper floors of the castle. *Students' Bedrooms, each student has their own bedroom, with a window with no glass, only shutters. Bats roost in some of the bedrooms. Each pupil has the same type of room: very simple, with a wardrobe, iron bedstead, table and chair. There is a picture rail along the bare walls from which hangs a sampler embroiderd with a quotation from the book of spells. In Mildred's fourth year, glass is fitted in the windows, with bat-flaps so that the bats can get in and out (in the 2017 TV series they already have glass when Mildred arrives). The bedrooms are located above the main floor of the castle, but below the upper floors where the teacher's rooms are. *Kitchens, located in the dungeons *Dungeons, located below the main level of the castle *The Swimming Pool, built in Mildred's fourth year, it is located in the old 'Small Playground', a yard that was used for individual broomstick lessons. The pool is full of water plants and pond life; according to Miss Hardbroom, this is so they can use it for nature studies as well as swimming. Worst witch book3003.jpg|Cackle's Academy in the Books Cackles Castle4.jpg|Cackle's Academy in the 1998 TV Series Wwtvcacklescastle.jpg|Cackle's Academy in The New Worst Witch Wq4RoylH0fE.jpg|Cackle's Academy in the 2017 TV Series Screenshot 2017-02-14-19-58-44.png|Plan of the castle from the 2017 Series Magicalmystery2.jpg|Map of the castle from the Magical Mystery game Trivia *The castle used for the exterior shots of Cackle's Academy in the 1998 TV Series is Castell Coch, near Cardiff, Wales. The 2017 TV Series used the Burg Hohenzollern in Germany.http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2016/worst-witch-casting *There is an inconsistency with the exact age of Cackle's Academy. Supposedly Algernon and Helibore had been there when the castle was used as a meeting place for wizards, yet Hermione Cackle, the founder, was Miss Cackle's great great great great great grandmother, making the Academy likely 300 years old, or more. This is only in the TV series; the books never state how old Cackle's is. Possibly Cackle's started somewhere else and then moved to the castle later, or maybe the the wizards used it during school holidays. ** The telemovie gives the year of the school's founding as 1604. *In the books, Cackle’s is shown as a castle on the top of a hill, Surrounded by a forest. The 1986 feature did not stick to that, but used an established school, one with an elderly building, a low hill with few trees. The 1998 TV series tried to be closer. The New Worst Witch sometimes looks like the 1998 TV series and sometimes more an ancient castle converted to stately home in a woodland setting. *The colours of the sashes worn with the uniform correspond to covers of the first four Worst Witch Books: The Worst Witch (Purple), The Worst Witch Strikes Again (Yellow), A Bad Spell For The Worst Witch (Red) and The Worst Witch All At Sea (Green). Notes and references Category:Places Category:Magical Education Category:Schools